Wished
by BrochanInWords
Summary: Arthur learns Merlin's birth name. (No warnings!) (The title comes from a play on the Welsh name 'Wyllt' which I always imagined sounds like wished.)


**A/N: I wanted to take a break from the somber and delve into the happy... *Grins* This is just a short thing that came to me, and since I like Arthurian legends too much I just recalled the origins of Merlin and his Welsh name, which, I believe was changed to the spelling 'Merlin' because Myrddin was too close to 'Merde' which meant excrement...**

"What's gotten you in such a good mood?" Arthur wasn't sure why he asked it, as Merlin often tended to be in a fine mood, but this just seemed to him to be extreme. The manservant had been wearing a grin all day, and not just that, he hadn't been calling names nor complaining one bit about any of the chores that Arthur had given him. Or any of the extra chores that the prince had said to do, just to see if he could get a simple argument from his friend. Nothing had worked.

"My mother is visiting Camelot today." Merlin continued to wash the floor, scrubbing at a particularly stubborn stain on the stones. Arthur peeked around the privacy screen. He didn't know that. He had only met the woman, what, maybe once? He met so many people on a daily basis that he forgot who he met and when, but that was all part of his duty. Also, remembering their names was a part of his responsibilities. If only he could remember her name... He frowned and looked through his memories.

"...Hunith?"

Merlin looked over at him with a smile and nodded, dropping the soggy rag in the bucket and picking it up by the metal handle. He looked so hopeful, but in the way he held himself, his stance sideways with one foot pointed towards the door - what had Arthur heard about that stance before? Oh, yes, right. A man had once come to Camelot, claiming he could read body language. He had told the young prince that the stance Merlin was currently in meant that he wanted to run, that the person standing like that didn't want to be in the conversation, or more often than not they had little belief they would actually be given their request. At least, in this case. He wasn't sure if that's what the man had said originally, but that's what Arthur took out of the whole situation. Merlin was going to ask something, no doubt. "Arthur, I wanted to request the day off."

...And there it was. Arthur's lips moved up in a smirk. He had been right. "Have you mucked out my stables? Have you exercised my Alaunts? Have you fed my hunting hawk?"

Merlin's shoulders sagged a fraction of an inch. "No, but..."

"But what?"

"But I never get to see my mother, and I always do these chores."

There was a complaint! Arthur was proud of himself for getting one out of the formerly on-the-clouds boy. "Of course you may have the day off, Merlin. I'm not a complete..."

"...Turniphead? Rootbrain?"

Arthur looked incensed. " _Root_ brain?" He shouted in disbelief. "I'll show you a _Root_ brain, _Mer_ lin!" He started off at a walk, but sped up his pace gradually. Merlin's face paled and he dropped the bucket, charging towards the door. He opened it and slipped out, but before closing it, he called back,

"Like I said - rootbrain!"

"You little..."

Merlin slammed the door with a yelp as something crashed against the wall. He tried to cover a laugh, but that action only made the sound have a start like a hissing snake. A grin spread across his face and he laughed, his eyes squinting. He started off down the hallway at a run, his boots hitting the floor noisily. He made his way to the physician's chambers, knowing that's where his mother would go first once she arrived. He felt... happy. No strings attached, no feeling of constant burden, for now, he was just happy.

 **MERLINMERLINMERLINMERLINMERLINMERLINMERLINMERLINMERLINMERLINMERLINMERLINMERLINMERLINMERLINMERLINMERLINMERLINMERLINMERLINMERLINMERLINMERLINMERLINMERLINMERLINMERLINMERLINMERLINMERLINMERLINMERLINMERLIN**

Arthur let his face rest against his closed fist, staring at the farmer before his father's throne. He would not fall asleep, he would not fall asleep... His eyes drifted shut and his lips parted, partially from the force of his hand against his cheek. This day couldn't have been more boring. He jerked awake when someone's hand hit his shoulder. His face flushed when he realized it had been Uther to wake him. He sniffed and sat up straight, nodding gravely towards the farmer even though he had absolutely no idea what the man had been talking about for the last hour. It had something to do with his wife trying to steal his greens, but as far as Arthur was concerned, if it was his wife, she wasn't stealing, what he owned was also hers. Legally it wasn't an issue that anyone could fix.

Afterwards, the young prince found himself making his way towards the physician's chambers instead of the training grounds. He had new knights to work with, but he also wanted to meet Hunith for a second time. Well... Was it just Hunith he wanted to see? Of course, his mind spat. He frowned at nothing, although the guards that he passed visibly straightened as they saw his expression. He stopped just outside the door and decide if he would knock, or just come in. He did both, rapping his knuckles against the door first and then pushing it open. He glanced inside, spotting Gaius first, then Merlin, and then Hunith.

His manservant beamed, "Arthur!" Only a moment passed before Merlin cocked his head to the side, "I thought you were going to be training the knights today, Sire."

"I thought I would say hello to Hunith first." He stepped inside, leaving the door open. The woman smiled at him and stood, and when he was in front of her she tried to curtsy, only to nearly trip on her own skirt. Arthur caught her by the arm, stopping her from finishing the curtsy. "There is no need."

Hunith laughed uncomfortably and smoothed out her dress, only to have Merlin come to her side a second later. He wrapped a long arm over her shoulders and gripped her hand with his free one. Arthur nodded to the both of them. "It is good to have you here, I welcome you to Camelot."

"Thank you, Sire."

"You are most welcome. Has Merlin given you the tour?"

She looked from her son to the future king. Merlin answered for her, "Not yet. Just catching up for now."

"Well, when you do, be sure to visit the training grounds. Perhaps she will find enjoyment in seeing the new recruits falling over their own feet."

Merlin gave him a half-disapproving, half-amused look. "That is..." He shook his head.

"At any rate, I should be on my way there now." He nodded his head in some kind of a bow. "Oh, and Merlin? I expect you to do double chores to-morrow to catch up on your work."

"Roothead," Merlin muttered, and obviously the sound was only meant for Arthur's ears, but it was made evident that he wasn't the only one that had heard -

"Myrddin Wyllt!" Hunith reprimanded, gaining a sheepish look from her son as he looked down at his scuffed shoes. "What have I told you? Name calling is no way to speak to anyone, especially the prince of Camelot."

Arthur laughed out loud. He turned sideways as he laughed, and then moved back to face the two. "It's all right, Hunith. Myrddin Wyllt, huh? What happened to 'Merlin, idiot manservant of Arthur Pendragon'?"

Merlin huffed, indignant, "Well at least I'm not an over-inflated lout!"

"Over-inflated? Are you calling me fat, _Mer_ lin?"

"Well considering the last hole on your belts have to be punched just shy of the edge..."

Arthur reached forward and cuffed Merlin's head, dragging him forward that way into an arm-lock. He messed up the young man's hair. "Arthur... stop!" The royal laughed and pushed his servant away. Merlin huffed and fixed his hair. Hunith, for her part, gaped in either shock or horror at the... conversation. Gaius paid them little mind as he made the king's daily medicine.

"Myrddin," Arthur mused. He nodded. "I like it. Not that I like the owner of that name, but..."

Even Merlin laughed. He bowed deeply, "Pleasure to make your acquaintance, prince Arthur." He coughed into a fist, "prat."

Arthur just rolled his eyes and waved Merlin off. He left the chambers with another goodbye to Hunith, and as soon as he stepped out, he laughed again, this time freely.


End file.
